8th Grade A New Nation notes with Answers

Challenges Facing the New Government

Internal Challenges

  1. Organizing the Government
  2. Congress passed laws to set up three departments in the executive branch: Treasury, State, and War
  3. Judicial branch: Judiciary Act of 1789
  1. The Nations First Economic Crisis
  2. Problem: Nation and states were deep in debt
  3. Solution: Alexander Hamilton proposed a three part plan. Congress agreed to repay all federal and state debts and establish a national bank.
  1. The Whiskey Rebellion
  2. To raise money, Congress imposed a tax on all whiskey made in the USA that led to a revolt.
  3. Washington sent in the militia, which confirmed the strength of the national governments.
  1. Political Disagreements
  2. Two parties formed Republicans, Federalists.
  1. Conflicts in the Northwest Territory
  2. Reasons U.S. upset with Britain: Britain had not removed their troops after 10 years and gave guns and ammunition to the Native Americans
  3. Source of conflict with Native Americans: Wanted to keep their land and Americans wanted to settle it
  4. Terms of the Treaty of Greenville: Native Americans give up all of their land from the Ohio River to Lake Erie

External Challenges

  1. The French Revolution
  2. Federalist reaction: denounced the violence of the revolution
  3. Republican reaction: Supported the revolution and said that some violence was to be expected
  1. France and Britain at War
  2. U.S. position: remained neutral
  3. Effect of position: neither Britain or France would trade; both countries stopped U.S. ships and seized cargo; Britain even took U.S. sailors
  1. Troubles with Britain ( led to Jay’s Treaty)
  2. Americans agreed to: Pay debts owed to British merchants
  3. British agreed to: Pay for the ships it had seized, withdraw its troops from the Northwest Territory, and stop aiding the Native Americans
  4. British did not agree to: Recognize a U.S. right to trade with france or to cease impressments of U.S. sailors
  1. Troubles with France
  2. Jay’s Treaty and the XYZ Affair led to an undeclared war with France
  3. U.S. agreement with France: France would stop seizing American ships
  1. Alien and Sedition Acts
  2. Increasing tensions with France prompted the Federalist – led government to pass laws that made it harder to gain citizenship and restricted Freedom of Speech.